Low carbon transport research centre launches at Imperial

The Centre for Low Carbon Transport brings together world class researchers from one of Malaysia’s leading Universities, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), and Imperial as they develop the next generation of low carbon transport technologies.

Professor Ricardo Martinez-Botas from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, who has championed the establishment of the Centre comments:

“Imperial is a global leader in developing vehicle technologies to make them more efficient, without compromising their performance. The establishment of this new Centre with our partners in Malaysia will help advance our research in this field and enable the training of researchers who will make a difference to the landscape of low carbon transport technologies.”

Putting research into practice

Imperial excels in the areas of transport and sustainable vehicles, with many skilled researchers based in the Railway and Transport Strategy Centre and Departments within the Faculty of Engineering. The UTM Centre for Low Carbon Transport further exemplifies Imperial’s commitment to addressing current and potential global challenges through research.

Justin Finnigan, Business Development Manager for Engineering at Imperial Consultants explains:

“The research undertaken at the new Centre will undoubtedly enhance the repertoire of knowledge and expertise that Imperial can share through consultancy, helping external organisations to develop related technologies or products. Achieving success in the reduction of Carbon emissions from our transport systems has to be a collaborative effort with research creating knowledge to be shared”.

The Centre’s research will focus on a range of areas such as reducing engine size to improve efficiency without sacrificing performance and optimising technologies to improve the range of hybrid and electric vehicles. Additionally, researchers will develop new concepts for energy storage and waste energy recovery technologies to make cars lighter, using less fuel and increasing sustainability.

Hot topic

Cars alone are a major contributor to global warming, responsible for around 12% of total emissions of Carbon Dioxide in the European Union. With attention focussed on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet challenging targets set across Europe and the rest of the world, improving the efficiency of transport systems is a key area in developing low carbon economies.

Professor Ricardo Martinez-Botas adds:

“With the rise of developing countries like China and India the impact that vehicles have on the environment is only set to increase. Significant CO? reductions of around 30 per cent of the current fleet average could be achieved at low cost with the technologies we plan to develop at the UTM Centre for Low Carbon Transport.”

Please contact us for more information on consultancy and expertise in transport and sustainable vehicles.